Catch Phrase
by Ani-maniac494
Summary: In the early days of the expedition, tensions between the military and the scientists run high, and Elizabeth is concerned enough to start thinking outside the box. One-shot.


Spoilers: Set shortly after "Rising Part I," and "Rising Part 2."

Disclaimer: Alas, it's still not mine, but I'm a poor college student who currently owns more than one Shakespeare textbook, which explains why I'm using "alas" in this disclaimer, lol.

A/N: This fic was inspired ages ago by a review that **JoeyLuv **left on my SGA multi-chapter, "Mind Over Matter." It's been floating around my computer since then, and praise God, I was finally inspired to finish it.

As always, I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His incredible mercy and grace.

* * *

**Catch Phrase**

From the moment Elizabeth had accepted her position as head of the Atlantis expedition, she'd known that if they were going to succeed, she needed the best and brightest in every field. She was confident that she'd accomplished that particular goal.

Unfortunately, genius and ego often went hand in hand, and just a few days into the expedition, arguments had already sprung up between the scientists and military personnel.

The Athosians, welcome though they were, had only complicated matters even more.

Certainly, the "we're still alive, here's to staying that way" party - as Rodney had called it - had gone a long way in breaking the ice for everyone, but now, two days later, the strain was starting to show.

It concerned Elizabeth enough that she'd spoken with Kate Heightmeyer earlier that morning, and the resident psychologist had suggested a "team building" exercise. If she were honest, Elizabeth felt a little silly even thinking about it, but at the very least, Kate's idea would give them something to focus on besides the Wraith and worst-case scenarios, and brief though the diversion would be, it might do some good.

So, when Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay had wandered into her office for their informal afternoon meeting, Elizabeth had decided it was as good a time as any to bring it up.

It was about as well received as she'd expected.

"You've got to be kidding me. You want everyone to vote on a motto?" Rodney repeated incredulously.

Elizabeth nodded. "A motto, or a slogan…something that really embodies the spirit of the expedition."

"What could we possibly need with a motto?"

"Dr. Heightmeyer thinks it might help promote a shared sense of purpose."

Rodney's eye-roll clearly said what he thought of _that_, so Elizabeth turned to Major Sheppard instead. "What's your opinion, Major?"

He gave a casual shrug, his arms folded loosely across his chest. "Couldn't hurt, I guess. And you've gotta admit, morale needs all the help it can get." His lips quirked. "What about, 'Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…'?"

Rodney scoffed, and turned to glare at the other man. "You've just been waiting to use that joke, haven't you?"

Sheppard nodded. "Yep, pretty much. Used it once already. It just doesn't get old."

"It won't work," Rodney refuted immediately. "It's been what, 72 hours since we left Earth? That's hardly 'Long ago.'" He frowned. "What about, 'Space. The Final frontier. Our mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.'" He smiled, pleased. "Fitting, don't you think?"

Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "You want to steal the opening monologue from Star Trek?"

"Why not? We can spread 'good will' and Earth pop-culture at the same time. Besides, you wanted to use Star Wars!"

"I was kidding!"

Rodney gave him a doubtful look, and Sheppard shrugged again. "Well, I was. Mostly."

"I was actually hoping for something original," Elizabeth interjected, wanting to head-off any more sci-fi references (though, admittedly, she understood the temptation).

There was a long pause.

"Atlantis," Sheppard tried at last, "We…you know, find stuff."

Rodney turned to stare at him incredulously. "We find stuff? Seriously? That's the worst motto I've ever heard."

"Hey, if you can think of something better, feel free."

"Considering the alternative, 'better' is hardly a challenge, Major."

"Okay," Sheppard allowed evenly. "So, what's _your_ idea?"

Rodney opened his mouth, then quickly closed it again.

"Well?" Sheppard prompted.

"I'm thinking," Rodney retorted.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, trying to hide a smile that was half-amused and half-exasperated. They'd probably just keep going if she didn't stop them. She straightened slightly to get their attention, automatically folding her hands on her desk - a diplomatic habit she'd never really been able to break.

"Actually, gentlemen," she began, "as much as I appreciate your input, we don't need to have a list ready now. Dr. Heightmeyer suggested that we accept ideas from every member of the expedition that wants to submit one. Then we can pick a handful of the best and everyone can vote on their favorite."

Sheppard gave a nod with the same perpetually casual attitude that she was just becoming accustomed to. If she hadn't seen how driven he could be when lives were at stake, she might have wondered if he were the same man his largely-classified file described. "Sounds good to me," he offered.

Elizabeth glanced at Rodney. "Dr. McKay?"

He sighed and waved a hand at her impatiently. "The sooner we get it over with the sooner we can focus on other, more important things."

Knowing Rodney, that was probably as close to a positive response as she was going to get.

But it was better than nothing.

* * *

Five days later, Elizabeth was in the newly designated conference room, passing around a copy of the long list of slogans the expedition had submitted.

They had quite a few to sort through. When only a couple had trickled in initially, Elizabeth had finally conceded that the mottos didn't need to be original. She'd gotten several more after that, and she had to admit, there were some pretty clever ones.

Elizabeth ran her gaze over her own copy of the list again and shook her head. Evidently, Rodney had been right about "spreading Earth pop-culture."

"All for one, and one for all," was near the top of the list, so there was at least one Musketeers fan in Pegasus.

_Semper Fidelis_ came next, obviously from Atlantis's Marine contingent. (The _Ooh-rah!_ penciled in next to it was a fairly big clue.)

"Aim High" had been tacked on just underneath that, something Elizabeth recognized as an Air Force recruiting slogan. She suspected Major Sheppard was responsible for that particular motto finding its way onto the list, but she had a feeling he wouldn't admit to anything if she if asked.

Someone else had even included "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make." (Though Elizabeth wondered if they'd meant it to be cynical or hopeful, considering how the _Terminator _movies actually seemed to turn out.)

The list continued.

"The City on the Edge of Forever."

"Live Long and Prosper."

"Atlantis: We're not sunk yet!"

"We rise to the occasion."

"Water, water, everywhere…"

"Atlantis: When you care enough to send the very best."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. If she were a betting woman, she'd bet that one had been Rodney's idea.

All told, there were twenty-five slogans to pick from, but they needed to narrow that down to five at most before the voting could begin.

"Alright," she started, when all the lists had been distributed, "which slogans do you think should make it to the final round?"

Debate immediately broke out, lighthearted and a little chaotic, but Elizabeth let it continue uninterrupted for a few minutes, enjoying the chance to hear the senior staff bicker about something that wasn't actually serious.

Maybe Kate had had the right idea after all.

Elizabeth caught Teyla's eyes across the conference table, and smiled. The alien woman had assured Elizabeth that she could appreciate the need for a diversion - though she didn't seem quite sure what to make of Earth's unique brand of humor. Still, she was watching the scene with apparent amusement.

"Teyla, do you have a favorite?" Elizabeth asked.

"I believe I am fond of, 'Walk softly and carry a big stick.'"

Elizabeth, who'd listened to an impressed Major Sheppard recount Teyla's demonstration of Athosian stick fighting, couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The mess hall was more crowded than Elizabeth had seen it to date, with everyone who could be spared gathered around to hear her announce the winning motto. Scientists and military personnel milled around the room, talking easily, though most of the conversations revolved around the slogans and which one would win. She'd heard there was even a betting pool - one she was staunchly pretending not to notice - that involved personal stashes of soon-to-be-scarce junk food.

Elizabeth tapped her ear piece, connecting to Atlantis's comm system so the announcement could be heard city-wide.

"This is Dr. Weir. As I'm sure you're aware, we've tallied the results of the vote for Atlantis's new motto. But, first, I want to begin by thanking everyone for the great submissions we received. We had a hard time narrowing down the list. And now, without further ado, the new expedition motto is," - the diplomat in Elizabeth winced - "'When all else fails, blow something up!'"

There was a smattering of applause, cheers, and laughter, and various bags of chips, pieces of chocolate, and packages of Little Debbie's changed hands, including a Hershey's bar that Major Sheppard pocketed after Rodney had grudgingly passed it over.

Elizabeth shook her head, smiling even as she made a mental note not to share their new slogan with any potential allies. But, on the bright side, the scientists and military personnel had finally found something they could all agree on.

**Fin**

* * *

A/N: A shout-out to my wonderful beta, Darth Mom, who came up with Rodney's motto suggestion, "Atlantis: when you care to send the very best," and then was kind enough to let me use it. And, credit must got to **JoeyLuv**, whose review included what became the Atlantis motto, lol: "When all else fails, blow something up!" Thank you for inspiring me, **JoeyLuv**!

I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think!

Take care and God bless!

Ani-maniac494


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